The present invention relates generally to forged pipe joints and couplings, and more particularly relates to a method of forging a unitary pipe fitting.
Pipe fittings are typically fabricated of cast or forged components welded together. However, castings usually require thick wall sections for strength and are, therefore, typically heavy. Casting an item typically results in an item of unknown or questionable structure. Therefore, the cast item must be checked as by a radiographic procedure which is time consuming and expensive. Also, welded constructions create areas of high internal stress which can fracture. In addition, whenever two or more components are assembled, there is a chance of a dimensional tolerance stack-up either to the high side or low side of the tolerance range which results in the assembly being out of dimensional tolerance. Still further, assemblying an item of individual components requires manufacturing time which adds to the cost of manufacture, and each assembly step offers the possibility of introducing an error into the final product being assembled.
The present invention recognizes these drawbacks and provides a solution thereto for making pipe fittings.